What to Drink This Weekend: Spider Bite Eight Legged RyePA

Long Island’s up and coming Spider Bite Beer Company, who’ve brought us such stellar beers as their First Bite Pale Ale and an imperial stout called Boris the Spider, has another excellent new offering starting to make the rounds here in the city. It’s called Eight Legged RyePA, and it’s a light and refreshing American-style IPA that still manages to come in at a hardy 7% ABV. The aroma is all juicy grapefruit and floral notes with a pleasant touch of bready sweetness, and the taste follows suit, adding a good amount of bitterness and a hint of spiciness at the end, thanks to the rye malts they use to brew it. It’s not overpowering the way rye can sometimes be—it just pops up at the very last minute and, working in conjunction with the carbonation, has a sort of cleansing effect on the palate.

At the moment it’s available at only two establishments here in the city, albeit two of our finest: on tap at Bleeker Street’s noted beer haven the Blind Tiger Ale House, where a 16 oz. pour will set you back $6.50, and at Breuckelen Bier Merchants, where a pint will cost you $5 and a 64 oz. growler (do it) is going for $16 (less, I assume, if you already have a growler in your possession.)

Keep an eye on these guys—they’ve got some exciting stuff happening over the next few months, including the first ever bottling of their First Bite Pale Ale, as well as the introduction of two more brand new beers this summer. For now, though, the Eight Legged RyePA should be more than enough to keep you busy.